How to Choose the Best Diet for Weight Loss

A healthy diet is one that aims to balance fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat proteins. It should also avoid processed foods, such as frozen dinners, cakes and cookies, as well as sugary drinks and salty snacks.

Best diets for weight loss plans cut out entire food groups, which can lead to nutrient deficiencies and health problems, such as diabetes or heart disease. Others are too restrictive to work for long-term weight loss.

Weight-loss diets

It can be overwhelming to choose a diet to lose weight. There are hundreds of different options, and many of them claim to be the best. To make the best decision, you should evaluate each diet’s premise (such as eating like a caveman for the paleo diet), allowed foods, anticipated costs, evidence-based weight loss results, health-related attributes or hazards, and available supports and resources. If you are unsure, consult with a registered dietitian who can help you find a healthy meal plan that fits your goals and preferences.

In general, any eating plan that causes you to eat fewer calories than you burn will cause you to lose weight. However, it’s important to consider other factors such as enjoyment, flexibility, and longevity. For example, if a diet excludes your favorite foods or requires you to cook every day, it may be difficult to maintain. Similarly, if a diet excludes whole grains or other nutrient-dense foods, you could be at risk for a lack of essential nutrients.

The best diets are those that you can follow for life and promote healthy lifestyle changes. Choosing the right diet will help you learn about nutritious food choices, portion control, and physical activity. It will also prevent yo-yo dieting and allow you to lose and keep off excess weight. To make the most of your diet, remember that weight loss is only half the battle; keeping off the extra pounds is even more challenging.

Diets for diabetes

People with diabetes can manage their symptoms and prevent long-term health problems by following a healthy eating plan. Diets for diabetics help people lose weight, control blood sugar levels and lower high blood fats (cholesterol and triglycerides). Eating a balanced diet that includes whole foods and lean proteins can also improve mental health.

A diabetes-friendly diet focuses on complex carbohydrates, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains and starchy veggies, plus protein, healthy fats and water. It limits sweets, processed and refined carbohydrates (such as white bread, pasta and rice), saturated fat, trans fats, salt and sugary beverages. It also recommends nonfat or low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese and unsweetened tea or coffee.

The best diets for diabetes are sustainable, which means they’re not too restrictive. “It’s important to find a meal plan you can stick with for the long haul,” says Dunn. This will give you better results and reduce the risk of reverting to unhealthy habits.

Avoid fad diets and cleanses that promise quick results. They may not work and can actually put your health at risk. People with diabetes should also stay away from over-the-counter pills and supplements, as they can contain ingredients that interact with certain prescription drugs. Instead, aim for a healthy lifestyle by making small changes that you can keep up over the long term.

Diets for heart disease

If you have heart disease, a diet that can help prevent or slow the progression of your condition should be top of mind. Choosing a heart-healthy plan helps reduce bad cholesterol and blood pressure, decreases triglycerides and improves weight control. It also includes foods that provide the body with important vitamins and minerals, including potassium, which lowers blood pressure. It avoids processed meats that are high in sodium and fatty, “bad” fats such as those found in red meat and fried foods. It encourages naturally occurring sugars — such as those in fruits, vegetables and whole grains — and limits alcohol intake.

A heart-healthy diet should include fish, poultry, nuts, beans and legumes, low-fat dairy products and whole grains. It should also be rich in heart-healthy fats, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are found in olive oil, nuts and avocados. It should also limit saturated and trans fats, which can contribute to clogged arteries. It should be low in salt and sugar and moderate in calories from fat.

While many diets focus on what you can’t eat, the best ones are those that are research-backed and emphasize what you can eat. This is especially true for a heart-healthy diet, where adding the right foods can help curb LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, decrease blood pressure and boost metabolism.

Diets for cancer

Cancer treatment can cause side effects that affect the ability to eat. These include pain, nausea and vomiting, mouth sores, diarrhea, a loss of appetite, and changes in the way food tastes. The resulting nutritional deficit can lead to weight loss, malnutrition and complications such as weakness, fatigue and infections. A buyslimbiotic diet is important for cancer patients during and after treatment, and a registered dietitian can help plan meals and nutrition supplements to meet the needs of each patient.

A low-fat, high-protein diet is the best option for people who are having problems eating or have lost their appetite. Fruits and vegetables are also good choices, as are whole grains, beans and nuts. Avoid foods with added sugar, especially processed and fried foods. These can increase the risk of cancer recurrence.

Conclusion

 

Getting the right nutrients is even more important for cancer patients and survivors. But there is a lot of information out there, and it can be difficult to know which diets are best. To help, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center researcher Suzanna Zick and other experts analyzed five popular diets to see which included the nutrients known to reduce a person’s risk of cancer and prevent its recurrence.

About Author